The Tao family atavists were pretty laid-back. Part of it came from their plant-like nature, and part came from a deep tiredness caused by holding back their own power. Their human side stopped them from turning into blood-sucking monsters, but since they didn’t have enough energy to fully satisfy their bodies, they spent most of their time feeling slow and relaxed.
Fortunately, half of their genetic makeup was human. Blood was not a mandatory nutrient, and omitting it did not harm their health. Lazy was fine. They had plenty of money to eat, no jobs to drag themselves to, and nothing to do but sleep after meals, soak up the sun, and enjoy the breeze. Life could hardly be better.
Because of this, few people knew that beyond their powerful auxiliary ability to communicate with plant life, the Tao family atavists harbored terrifying combat aggression.
As Wu Ying’s words faded, a bone-chilling wave of energy erupted from the massive Blood Peach tree that Tao Ying had transformed into. As the pressure swept over the crowd, hairs stood on end across everyone’s skin.
With Tao Ying at the epicenter, all vegetation around her began to wither. Life drained out of the greenery in seconds, the decay spreading outward at an alarming speed.
The first people caught in the zone were two operational staff from the organization. They stood behind an electric fence, likely inspecting equipment, when thick roots burst from the earth and wrapped tightly around their ankles. Sharp tips plunged deep into their flesh. Plunging to the ground, the two screamed and dragged themselves forward in a desperate bid to escape, but their efforts were useless. Their faces paled by the second, their strength ebbing away until the bones in their hands pressed sharp against skin.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Upstairs, guards fired atavist weapons to save the pair, but the rescue came far too late. Before the rounds hit, the roots had already drained the two into hollow, shriveled husks.
More and more roots dragged themselves out of the soil like a nest of squirming snakes, surrounding and attacking the entire Hot Spring Inn.
The inn’s defenders opened fire with everything they had, but a shooter on the first floor soon found his rifle bound by a thick root. Looking down, he saw the wooden floorboards shattered from below, exposing dark earth underneath.
Before he could react, another root shot upward like a swift arrow, driving straight through his jaw and out the top of his skull.
“Aaargh!”
“Run! Get out of here!”
“Help me! Someone save me!”
“Monster! It’s a monster!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Dammit!” Chen Mo spat, his expression dark as he watched the carnage inside the inn. The withered decay drew closer to their position. If the roots sensed them, would a cluster of roots burst from the ground to strangle them as well?
Some others there had the same atavist purity as Tao Ying, but when an atavist entered a full state, they released all their hidden power. Their strength shot up far beyond normal. Even with equal purity, beating a wild, out-of-control atavist with just raw power was almost impossible.
“How wide is her attack range?” Feng Yilian asked, his eyes sharp.
“Liu Yin ran tests on Xiao Tao when she was little,” Wu Ying said, her nerves strained tight. “Even back then, the data showed that if she lost control, her roots could drain this entire forest park dry.”
Color drained from everyone’s face. The forest park covered a vast area that took ordinary hikers a full day to trek across. Even atavists needed considerable time to cross it. If Tao Ying could drain the entire park back then, what about now?
Worse, the forest park was not isolated deep in the wilderness. It sat close to the city, not far from the Long Family Estate, with several residential neighborhoods nestled near the base of the mountain. Letting Tao Ying run wild would yield catastrophic results.
“We have to stop her right now!”
“If she drains the people down the mountain, we’re all done for!”
“Damn it, what kind of love-struck fool is she? Didn’t her family ever teach her not to go into full atavist state?”
Entering a full atavist state meant total loss of control, where a person could no longer distinguish friend from foe. Even though strength skyrocketed, no sane atavist chose to enter it unless forced, knowing the court would issue a death sentence for the resulting destruction.
The elders stomped their feet in rage. They had instigated tonight’s ambush, and letting matters escalate like this brought them zero benefit.
The atavist family members had initially come to rescue Liu Yin and Tao Ying, but now they had no luxury to care about Liu Yin. Or rather, Liu Yin was the least of their worries. With Tao Ying so close to the inn, everyone inside was doomed. Instead of saving Liu Yin from kidnappers, they needed to save Liu Yin from Tao Ying.
“Barrier masters, can you seal off the forest park?!” Patriarch Wu demanded immediately.
Several atavists with barrier abilities shook their heads with grim expressions. “The park is way too big.”
“Then pull the line closer! Move!”
The barrier masters sprang into action, retreating swiftly and spreading out. Once they established enough combat space for the others to engage Tao Ying without entangling themselves, they activated their power.
An invisible wave of energy spread, forming a thin, transparent shield. Each segment connected seamlessly, rising into the sky to form an inverted bowl that locked the space down.
None of them had expected that after failing their initial plan to blockade the Long Family, they would end up pulling such hazardous overtime instead of going home.
As the barrier formed, warriors from the atavist families charged forward together, launching a full assault on Tao Ying.
Inside the hidden room of the Hot Spring Inn, Jin Ji panted heavily, carrying Liu Yin on his shoulder. With a guide leading the way, he had reached the inner sanctuary without hindrance.
Inside the hidden chamber, several researchers stood ready in full gear, their eyes gleaming with greedy excitement as they stared at the young man.
They could barely contain their eagerness to dissect a royal body of the Cyborg Clan, keen to unravel the deep scientific and divine mysteries contained within his frame.
Jin Ji set Liu Yin down and said coldly, “Don’t waste time on nonsense. The enemy is right outside. Cut his heart out clean, finish the job, and then handle the rest.”
The researchers glanced at the guide, who nodded to confirm the threat outside. Disappointment flickered across their faces. It seemed their elaborate tools would go unused for now, and fulfilling the organization’s task took priority.
Long ago, the organization had discovered that something special might exist inside the body of a Cyborg Clan royal—something that posed a grave threat to their future plans.
Royal cyborgs were extremely rare, as rare as six-winged angels. Liu Yin was the only known one alive, and few dared to challenge him, so the threat was low. Dealing with this was just a side goal while trying to create a rift between the atavist families and the government.
“The Cyborg Clan is a remarkable species—a fusion of biological matter and machinery, a masterpiece bridging science and divine craft,” Jing Pei had explained to Chu Xusheng, pacing casually beside a whiteboard with Liu Yin’s name written across it. “Each cyborg body is like a miniature world. The cells inside act like a team of scientists and engineers, meticulously crafting an incredible form from the moment of embryonic development.”
“The primary difference between a cyborg royal and an ordinary cyborg is that royals are the strongest of their kind. They achieve this because their genes build a unique weapon inside their bodies specifically to counter their most dangerous threats.”
“I… I don’t really get it,” Chu Xusheng admitted, rubbing his head in embarrassment.
“Think of it this way,” Jing Pei said softly. “When the cell-scientists inside their body detect a massive threat to their species’ survival in the outside world, they work around the clock to engineer a weapon capable of neutralizing it. It functions like antibodies after a viral infection, except the Cyborg Clan concentrates this biological countermeasure inside a royal’s frame, even if that specific royal has never faced the threat personally.”
“Which means inside Liu Yin’s heart lies a formidable weapon. I need to claim that weapon to ensure my own safety and protect this world. But this matter must remain secret, or the weapon might lose its edge.”
Standing at the entrance of the hidden chamber, Jin Ji watched the researchers, his heart pounding at the shrieks and groans echoing from outside. He could feel a chilling, unnatural force surging through the structure. What was that girl Tao Ying doing? Could his boss actually get the heart she wanted?
Before Jin Ji could ponder further, a strange slithering sound echoed beneath the floorboards. Something was moving under the floor. Then, as if smell the prey, the creature paused right below him.
Crash!
“What?!” Jin Ji tensed, his eyes locked on the floorboards.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A wooden board burst upward, and a scarlet root shaped like a thick snake shot into the air.
Cold sweat broke out across Jin Ji’s forehead. As the root lashed toward him, he stepped back into the chamber and slammed the heavy door shut.
Yet horror quickly mounted. Beneath the floor of the vault, the same rustling and slithering sounds echoed. Soon, the noise crept up the four walls, wrapping around them as if the entire room had been surrounded.
Because the researchers were ordinary humans without refined atavist hearing, and because the room had been built like a bank vault for illicit operations, they remained oblivious. Having removed Liu Yin’s upper clothing, they focused entirely on their scalpels.
Thump, thump, thump! The muffled impacts beat against the door like heavy drums, making Jin Ji’s chest tighten.
Farther away, Qiu Fa’s ears twitched slightly.
Jing Pei smiled faintly. “Sounds like it has started.”
“Guns? Ordinary humans?” Qiu Fa turned to look at her.
Jing Pei nodded.
Qiu Fa’s brow furrowed. If they were just ordinary humans, what could possibly prove troublesome enough to require his personal intervention?
Outside, nearly everyone threw themselves into attacking Tao Ying, trying to force her out of her full atavist form and back into human shape.
Flames, blade aura, and long whips—the same attacks unleashed on Liu Yin earlier—now rained down on Tao Ying.
Yet as the Blood Peach tree writhed, crimson sap leaking from its trunk like blood, it showed no sign of reverting. Roots burst from the soil, swatting and entangling attackers. Those caught screamed in terror, convinced they were about to be drained dry.
Wu Ying suddenly frowned, her eyes narrowing. “Wait, something’s wrong.”
Tang Qiaoqiao landed near her, her twin pigtails knocked uneven by a stray root strike. “What is it?”
“Xiao Tao…”
“We can’t go on like this,” an elder called out. “Holding back out of fear of hurting her is tying our hands!”
The hot spring inn had been completely wrapped in Blood Peach roots, hiding its walls beneath a squirming mass that would drive anyone with trypophobia mad.
“What else can we do? We can’t kill her! If we kill her, Liu Yin will tear us apart!” another elder roared.
“Who said anything about killing her? Stop using those scattered attacks and combine your atavist power to knock her back!”
The fighters stopped their dispersed assaults and encircled the massive Blood Peach tree. Powerful atavist energy surged from their bodies, coalescing into a heavy barrage aimed straight at Tao Ying, intending to render her unconscious.
Disabling her was acceptable; they could always heal her later.
“What about Tao Ying?” Tang Qiaoqiao asked Wu Ying.
“Xiao Tao hasn’t completely lost her mind,” Wu Ying murmured in surprise. “She looks wild, but she hasn’t harmed anyone on our side.”
Tang Qiaoqiao blinked, taking a closer look. Indeed, although some fighters on their side suffered injuries, none had been drained of blood. Given the ruthless way Tao Ying treated the inn’s occupants, several weaker members on their side should have become dried husks already.
“Of course,” Wu Ying’s eyes softened. “Xiao Tao had the best teacher in the world, raised with patience and care. She has always been a sweet, gentle girl. Even in extreme rage, her instincts refrain from turning her into a mindless monster that harms innocents. She didn’t enter a complete atavist state! Look, those plants are only yellowing, not dying. She’s holding back!”
Wu Ying felt a lump in her throat, aching for Tao Ying, who was currently taking bloody strikes from people who misunderstood her condition. Suddenly, Wu Ying noticed the deadly combined barrage taking shape above the crowd, and her face went pale.
“Stop!” Wu Ying reached behind her back and hurled her Black Tortoise shell toward Tao Ying.
Boom!
Several energy blasts slammed into the Blood Peach tree. A portion was deflected by Wu Ying’s shell, but the tortoise shell lacked enough power to cover the massive tree completely.
Explosions shattered the air. Crimson sap sprayed as countless roots snapped and rained to the ground. A terrifying roar of agony echoed through the rising smoke.
“Xiao Tao!” Wu Ying gasped, her eyes wide as she stared into the haze.
“Did that knock her out?!”
“Call the atavist hospital! We need to transport her!”
“Wu Ying, what were you doing just now?!”
“Silly girl letting romance cloud her head, trying to destroy the world over love—she needed a lesson!”
Wu Ying glared back, ready to snap, when a sharp root shot out from the smoke like a deadly spear, plunging straight through the chest of the elder who had just spoken.
Gasps filled the air. The man looked down at his chest, his face draining of color instantly.
Feng Yilian reacted with lightning speed, slicing through the root to save his life. The elder stumbled backward, clutching his chest, his skin ghostly pale from sudden blood loss.
The air shifted. Beneath their feet, all life in the soil began to wither. Insects, snakes, mice—every living creature shriveled into empty skin as they fled. The moist earth turned dry and brittle as vitality was sucked clean.
“Oh no…”
By a tragic twist, that combined blow had not knocked Tao Ying out. Instead, it had shattered the final shred of reason she was clinging to. Now, she had truly entered a full atavist state, turning into a mindless demon that attacked everything in sight.
Meanwhile, inside the hidden chamber of the Hot Spring Inn.
Jin Ji felt the roots clawing at the vault door pause for a brief second. Before he could exhale, that terrifying slithering sound returned, louder and more frantic.
Crack…
Jin Ji snapped his head toward the door.
The reinforced vault door was deforming. Other roots had identified the weak point and joined the assault, bending the steel inward.
“What’s that noise?” a researcher asked, looking up.
“Ignore it and keep working,” Jin Ji said, keeping his voice steady as he glanced at Liu Yin.
Extracting Liu Yin’s heart was no simple task. Because Liu Yin was alive, merely unconscious, his body’s passive defenses remained active. When the scalpel cut into his chest, the tissue below hardened into a steel-like material, blocking the blade.
They had to switch to expensive specialized tools to carefully bypass each layer of defense without triggering automated counter-measures.
Two protective layers still remained before reaching Liu Yin’s heart.
Outside, the Blood Peach tree devoured nearby life forces to regenerate its wounds while driving relentless attacks against the surrounding crowd.
The drain rapidly expanded toward the barrier, forcing the barrier masters to hold their ground with darkening faces.
“Damn it! How long can her roots stretch?!” a barrier master yelled, dodging a root that burst from the earth.
“I can’t… hold it much longer…”
Just as a root plunged into his ankle to drain his blood, a sharp wind blade severed the root cleanly. A calm, steady voice echoed near his ear: “Let me through.”
“Help! Someone help me! I’m getting drained!” a trapped fighter screamed nearby.
An atavist who had lost all reason was entirely different from one keeping a sliver of sanity. Tao Ying now drew energy from the entire forest park, growing taller while her roots thickened and sprouted sharp thorns. Every drop of blood spilled into the soil served as fresh fuel, amplifying her aggression.
Had they not worked together to rescue one another, several fighters would already be dead husks. Even so, many had lost too much blood and had to withdraw from the field.
“What do we do now? If we don’t go all out…”
“But if we go all out and kill her by mistake, Liu Yin and the Tao family will tear us apart!”
Wu Ying felt a wave of bitter regret. If only she had realized earlier that Tao Ying was holding onto her sanity, things wouldn’t have devolved into this nightmare.
At that moment, she noticed two figures emerging from behind the trees.
“Is this the troublesome target you mentioned?” Qiu Fa asked, looking at Jing Pei.
Jing Pei gave him a thumb-up and smiled. “I’ll leave her to you. I’m going inside to find Liu Yin.”
“Hmph.” Qiu Fa gave a quiet grunt of agreement, watching as Jing Pei slipped past the chaotic battlefield and entered the Hot Spring Inn from the quiet rear entrance.
